InuYasha:Secret of the Cursed Mask
by Chris Star
Summary: InuYasha and the gang team up with a pair of twins from Kagome's era Amane and Akito Kururugi in order to defeat Naraku, collect the Shikon Jewel shards, and solve the mystery of why the twins are here. Based on the InuYasha:Secret of the Cursed Mask game
1. Chapter 1:Amane and Akito

Disclaimer:I do not own InuYasha or any of it's characters. Even the Kururugi twins aren't mine, though I've changed their appearances and personalities from what they were in the game, the same with Utsugi. Also, MOST of the storyline is just a written version of the game's layout, but I HAVE done some tweaking, which includes adding scenes which never appeared in the game.

"What!"Amane turned to her friend, a shocked look on her face. "Are you sure they're going steady!"

Kururugi Amane was sixteen years old, a first year at Tomoeda High School. She had bright blue eyes, and black hair down to her mid-back, with a dyed streak of blue framing either side of her face. Today, her hair was tied up in a ponytail, and she wore a pair of black jeans and a dark blue denim jacket over a black t-shirt.

"Y'mean you didn't know?"her friend asked. "Honestly, I've never seen anyone as clued out as you about stuff like this Amane!"

Amane looked down. "It's just... they're still only first years."

"Get a grip, wouldja? Already first years is more like it. A lot of girls our age have boyfriends already. Like Yuka...and Takaisan...then there's Reiko...oh, and Tomo-chan!"

"Even Tomo-chan!"Amane shouted, getting the attention of everyone on the bus.

"Would you cut it out, you're making a total scene!"her friend hissed.

Amane sighed. "Wow... What a shock. And here I thought I was Tomo-chan's good friend."

"She probably didn't want to hurt your feelings."

"Huh?"

"Y'know,"Amane's friend got a sly look on her face. "You don't have a guy yet."

Amane's face turned bright red and she stared straight down at the ground. Her friend laughed. "You sure blush easily, Amane!"

"Next stop, Kururugi Shrine. Kururugi Shrine."

Amane jumped to her feet as the bus halted, then ran down the stairs and toward the large stone staircase to the shrine. She wasn't surprised to see a large crowd gathered at the shrine. She ran immediately to one of the booths, and took a moment to catch her breath before bowing low to the man behind the booth.

"I'm sorry I'm late dad! The movie ran later than we thought!"

Her father placed his hands on his hips. "You know this is the Doll Festival of Wishes."

Amane winced at her father's tone. "I know, I'm sorry. I'll go change now."

"No, wait. I can handle things here. Could you go to the storehouse and get me some more talismans?"

Amane smiled. "Sure. No problem."

Amane squeezed through the crowd, stopping momentarily to catch her breath once she reached the shrine. A hand suddenly reached over her shoulder from behind and slammed into the shrine in front of her, causing her to scream and whip around. The boy had the same bright blue eyes as her, with short, black hair. He wore a pair of faded denim jeans and a black t-shirt.

"Akito, you jerk!"screamed Amane as the boy started laughing.

"Sorry, sis! Couldn't help it!"Akito managed to choke out between laughs.

Amane sighed and tried to regain her composure. "Come to the storehouse with me. Dad wants me to get more talismans, and I think they're on a higher shelf than I can reach."

Akito followed his sister to the storehouse, shoving his hands in his pockets as he watched her pull the door open. Amane went to step inside, but was bumped aside as Akito stepped in before her. She angrily watched as her brother stepped further into the storehouse.

"Woah!"exclaimed Akito as his foot sank through the floor.

"Akito!"exclaimed Amane, running forward and grabbing her brother's shoulder. "Are you alright?"

Akito grunted as he tried to pull his foot out. "Man, the floor's totally rotten. We should have dad fix it later."

As he yanked his foot free, the entire floor collapsed beneath them, and the two screamed as they plummeted into a void of blue light...


	2. Author Note & Apology

Well, unlike my other stories, I was actually concentrating on this one... I had me thoughts split out into 27 chapters, so my goal was to pre-write five chapters at a time in a notebook, then upload all five at once when I was satisfied with them. Unfortunately, when I was about 3/4 finished with chapter 6, my grandmother decided to clean my room, and threw out the notebook the next five chapters were written in. I am now forced to start from scratch again. To those who may have been waiting for the second chapter, I deeply apologize for the delay, and now the forced continuation of the delay.

GOMENASAI MIINA-SAN!!


	3. Author's Note

I am sure some of you have seen the notice in my other stories about the jeapordy in which their continuation is discussed. This story, however, is the exception. While there has been a lack of update and free time here just as with the others, this is one I am truly determined to finish! While I cannot make any promises as to how soon this story will be updated and/or finished, I can promise that it WILL be continued and finished! Similar to wether or not my other stories will be continued, the acquisition of feedback and/or requests will result in a faster update than if I recieve nothing at all. Doomo arigatoo gozaimasu, minna-san!!

I would also like to make a reply to a certain review, while apologizing for said reply having taken nearly two years to occur.

Miasaki 2007-03-24 . chapter 1

Yes I love the game! Also after this could you make a 2nd fanfic Cuz I dont like the ending in the game cuz they get seperated! So would you plz? Oh yeah great story so far!

A second fanfic will not be required to mmet this request. Like you, I thought the ending of the game thoroughly sucked... As stated in the first chapter, there are some details of the game I have edited or completely removed, as well as things I have totally made up and thrown in. The ending is among those things. ^.^


	4. Chapter Two:The Boy With Dog Ears

**Message from the Authoress((PLEASE READ!)):** Well, here we go, after way too long a delay. I meant to get this up closer to the middle of this past week, but, being a high school student, I had to work on it between assignments in class, as at home I was preoccupied with the game Radiata Stories and finishing the twelve manga that are due at the library in three days, as well as making scans of said manga to send to a friend out of the country... ^.^; Then I had to run my draft by my editor. Yes, I have an editor even for fanfics... I dunno if that's professional or just plain pathetic... As he is ALSO a high school student with literally all the same classes as me, (and I didn't want to let that notebook out of my sight...), he had just as little time to proofread for me. So now, without further ado, chapter two! About goddamn time! XD

Side note:Any time a word or phrase is followed by an asterisk (*) that is a sign to refer to my translation notes. For this particular chapter, the translation notes will be in a seperate "chapter", as there are quite a few for this chapter. A majority, if not all, of the following chapters will probably have few enough for me to simply place them at the end of the chapter.

When Amane regained consciousness, she didn't open her eyes right away. Keeping them closed, she used her remaining sensessr surroundings, as she'd been taught by her _buchou_* in the _kendo_* club. (Author Note:I thought fighting with JUST the _shikigami_ would be uneventful for Amane & Utsugi. So, I made Amane a memeber of her school's _kendo_ club so she could have an actual weapon. My editor questioned the importance of putting an author note here, but he's only seen the anime, never played the game, and I feel that, while not crucial, this is mildly important to explain to those readers who HAVE played the game...) She was lying on the ground, and she knew wherever she was, she was outside. She could hear birds chirping all around her, the rustling of the wind through the leaves, and she felt the grass tickling her arms and legs. After a few moments, she opened her blue eyes and sat up. Gazing around, she saw what her other senses had confirmed; she was in a forest. Suddenly, she remembered her brother.

"Akito?"she jumped to her feet, looking around franctically. "Akito! Where are you?"

No response came, and Amane became worried for her twin's safety.

"I hope he's okay... What if he was hurt? Or killed? Oh, Akito..."

Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Amane began wandering in search of a way out of the forest. After an hour of wandering aimlessly, she came across and unusual sight.

A middle-aged man was looking through the forest, seeming to be in search of something.

"Oh, a person! Maybe he can help me find a way out of this forest!"

She took a step to approach the man, then stopped when she noticed his clothing.

"Huh? A _kimono_? Why is he wearing a _kimono_?"

The man glanced up suddenly, gasping when he saw the girl.

"Demon!"

"Wh-what? I'm not..."

"The man drew the sword at his hip. "Demon! Where have you taken my daughter?"

"Dammit... I don't have my shinai*...I hafta get out of here!"

Amane immediately turned and took off. After running for nearly an hour, she stopped in a clearing to catch her breath.

"Whew... I think I lost him. Thank goodness..."

There was a rustling in the bushes to the side, and Amane gasped and jumped back.

"Wh-who's there?"she demanded. Something emerged from the bushes, and Amane's eyes widened in horror.

The being had a vaguely human-like build. But it was certainly not human. Its skin was green, and it had a single, blood red eye. Atop it's head was a tiny, white horn.

"Ah, I thought I smelled a human. I was just getting hungry, too."

"Oh, my God..."Amane took a shaky step back. "Is that... a demon?"

Still stepping back, Amane tripped over a rock, falling hard on her bottom. She watched, trembling, as the demon advanced on her. Unseen by the human girl, a strange white aura began to surround her body. She felt an odd warmth spreading across her body, one that would perhaps be comforting if not for the dire situation. As the demon drew closer, she flung one hand out in front of her, palm forward toward the creature.

"No! STAY AWAY FROM ME!"

The next thing Amane knew, everything had gone dark...

_Am... Am I... dead?_

"Hey!"said a male voice. "You awake yet?"

_What...?_

Amane's eyes slowly fluttered open to find a young man her age-perhapes a year or two older than herself-standing over her. He had golden eyes, and long, silver hair nearly down to his waist. He wore a crimson _kimono*_ and _hakama*_ over a white _nakajuuban*_. Around his neck hung a necklace of purple beads and some sort of animal fangs. He seemed to be, more or less, normal... until Amane noticed that he had claws, fangs, and silver dog ears atop his head!

"Yah! A demon!"Amane screeched, crawling backwards away from the boy. "Don't eat me!"

"Calm down!"the boy huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "Nobody's gonna eat you."

"But... but you have dog ears and fangs!"

"Oh, whatever... Anyway, that was great! What kinda technique was that?"

"Huh? Technique?"

"Yeah! You beat that demon by shining that light on him!"

"Huh? Oh... that's right..."she murmured to herself. "I was being chased by a demon... I thought I was gonna die... and then that light..."

"Hey..."the boy said suddenly. "Your clothes look like Kagome's clothes... You're from the present, aren't you?"

"Huh? The present?"

"Yeah. The present You know, the present!"

"I'm... not really sure I get what's going on."

The boy scoffed. "Kagome can explain it better than I can."

"Who's Kagome?"

"Kaede's Village isn't too far from here. C'mon, let's go."

Amane nodded hesitantly before standing

Amane followed the silver -haired boy into the village, glancing around at the unfamiliar surroundings. It was an old-fashioned Japanese village, and everyone she saw was wearing a _kimono_.

"What in the world is this place?"

"InuYasha!"

Amane and the boy looked up at the sound of the voice to find a girl running over. The girl was a year or two younger than Amane, with amber eyes and long, black hair. She was a sailor-style junior high school uniform in green witha red scarf. When she came to a stop before Amane and the boy, she was glaring daggers at him.

"InuYasha, Where were you? We needed your help defeating a demon! You're never there when we need you..."

He scoffed. "If you're talking about those small demons, I already handled it."

The girl frowned, then turned to Amane. "Hm? Who's this?"

_This girl looks normal..._

"Please! Can you tell me where I am? I can't find my brother, everyone is dressed weird, I was even attacked by a demon! I don't know what's going on!"

"Woah! Calm down!"the dark-haired girl said, hands on Amane's shoulders. "Deep breaths. There. Good. Now... what's your name?"

"Kururugi Amane. I'm a first year at Tomoeda Senior High*."

"Alright. I'm Higurashi Kagome*. I'm a third year at Jyuuban Junior High. And this is InuYasha."

"Can you please tell me what's going on here?"

Kagome nodded. "Now that you're calm, yes. Now listen very carefully. This isn't the present."

"Not the present? What do you mean?"

"We're in the _Hoken Jidai*_."

"_H-Hoken Jidai_* You mean the time of Oda Nobunaga*? And when guns first came to Japan?"

"That's right." Kagome nodded.

Amane stared in horror at the younger girl, before promptly fainting.

_My, how time flies when you keep falling unconscious..._ Amane thought bitterly. Hesitantly, she opened her eyes and sat up. She found she was in one of the village huts, lying on and old-fashioned futon.

"You okay?"asked a voice. Amane turned to see a little boy standing beside her. He was very small, probably wouldn't even reach her knees were she standing. He had jade green eyes, and his orangish brown hair was pulled backina ponytail with a light blue ribbon. He wore a blue _kimono_ with a leaf pattern in an even lighter shade of blue. Over the _kimono_ he wore a dark blue _hakama_ and a fur vest. His ears were slightly pointed, and his feet seemed to have the appearance of a fox's hind paws. Protruding from his rear end was a fluffy fox tail.

"Who... who are you?" Amane asked.

"My name's Shippou!"the boy smiled brightly. "Are you okay? Kagome said you fainted."

"I'm fine."she smiled softly. "Just a little... in shock is all. Oh, my name's Amane."

"Nice to meetcha! You came from the present like Kagome, right?"

"Mm-hmm. Shippou-chan... um... exactly what are you?"

"Me? I'm a _kitsune*_!"

"A _kitsune_...?"Amane blined slowly in surprise.

"Ah, ye be awake."

Amane glanced up again to see an old woman enterring the hut. She wore the traditional white kimono and red hakama of a _shinto_ priestess. Her right eye must have been injured, for it was covered with an eyepatch, and the visible one was amber. In her youth, her hair must have been either black or brown, as the paling hair tied at the nape of her neck still had a faint brown tint.

"Um... yes, I'm awake..."

The woman kneeled beside the futon Amane sat on.

"Your name is Amane, aye? I am priestess Kaede."

"A... priestess...?"

Kaede nodded. "I've heard from Kagome. Ye be from the present as well?"

"_H-hai_*... Tell me... Is this really the _Hoken Jidai_?"

"Aye, it is, child. Tell me how ye came to be here."

"I'm not really sure... Akito and I were in the storehouse..."she gasped. "Akito! I have to find my brother!"

"Relax, child! Ye will not find your brother simply running around like a chicken with it's head cut off."

"But... but Akito..."

"Feh, just another noisy girl..."

Amane looked up to find Kagome and InuYasha standing in the dorrway of the hut.

"Maybe," Kagome suggested. "You should check the area where you first woke up."

"But I was in such a panic... I don't even remember where that was now!"

"Feh, useless..."InuYasha scoffed.

"Wait! I saw a man there! He thought I was a demon, and he was carrying a sword."

"This be a simple farming village."said Kaede. "None of our men carry swords. Save for InuYasha."

"Maybe the next village over."said Kagome. "Akebi Village."

"Then I guess that's where I'm headed."said Amane.

"We'll come with you."

"What?"shouted InuYasha.

"Oh, InuYasha, stop complaining. We can't just abandon her."

"Thank you, Kagome..."murmured Amane. "Now... if I could just get a sword..."

Even copying from a notebook, that took longer to type than I expected. XP Sorry if I messed up Kaede's way of talking. I tried my best... T_T Oh, and you may have noticed I made the _shikigami_ white... In my opinion, it makes more sense for a regular _shikigami _not associated with an element to be colorless or white, and simply for the _shikigami_ connected to the element of fire to be red. So that's how I'm writing it. Hope you like! Please don't flame me... T.T


	5. Chapter 2 Translation Notes

Translation Notes for Chapter Two

*1-_buchou_Section or department head. In this case, the head of the _kendo_ club at Amane & Akito's high school, of which Amane is a member.

*2-_kendo_Japanese fencing with bamboo swords. Amane is a member of her high school's _kendo_ club. Although she's never fought with a real sword, it would not be difficult for her to properly handle one.

*3-_shinai_Bamboo sword. Used for battle in kendo. In the days when true sword fighting occured in Japan, _shinai _were used by students and their instructors during lessons and practice.

*4-_kimono_Traditional robe-like clothing worn in Japan. While presently only worn during traditional festivals, in the past it was the normal clothing this Japanese wore daily.

*5-_hakama_Pants-like garment sometimes worn over a _kimono_. Usually worn by _shinto_ priests in blue, and priestesses in red.

*6-_nakajuuban_A robe-like garment worn under a kimono. Usually white, but may be other colors to match or accent the kimono it is worn with.

*7-Japan's schoolsThe schools in Japan work differently than those in America. Grades 1-6 are elementary school (often referred to as primary school), 7-9 are middle school (referred to only as junior high), and 10-12 are high school (referred to there as senior high). Since junior and senior high are three years intead of the four here, the system of freshman-sophomore-junior-senior does not apply. Instead, students are addressed as either first years (grade 7 in junior high, grade 10 in senior high), second years (grade 8 in junior high, grade 11 in senior high), or third years (grade 9 in junior high, grade 12 in senior high).

*8-NamesJapan, like most Asian countries, does not state a person's name the same way s we do. While we introduce ourselves by our given name, then our family name, the Japanese do it in reverse. Hence, while Kagome and Amane would introduce themselves as Kagome Higurashi and Amane Kururugi if they were American, in their native tongue they are introduced as Higurashi Kagome and Kururugi Amane. Also, it is often the case that an individual will be referred to by last name by people they are not very close to. For example, Amane's friends and family call her Amane, but her teachers and classmates call her Kururugi.

*9-_Jyuuban_Roughly translated means "District Ten". Many schools in Japan are named after the district they reside in rather than an actual name. This way of naming is similar to the American way of naming some schools "Public School" or "PS", and then assigning a number. As a point relative only to this story... I'm not sure if the name of Kagome's school has ever been mentioned, so I just took of the name of Usagi's school in _Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon _and used that. If there is a point where Kagome's school name is mentioned and this is not it, feel free to message me and let me know, and I'll go back in the chapter and fix it.

*10-_Hoken Jidai_"Feudal Era" or "Warring States Era". This is a time approximately 500 years ago when feudal warlords in Japane fought eachother both for land and in support of their own beliefs. What many people don't realize is that this wasn't a sterotypical "Good guys VS Bad guys" kind of war. The deuding lords simply had different beliefs than one another.

*11-Oda NobunagaReferred to by Americans as Nobunaga Oda due tot he different naming system. Nobunaga is the most well known of the feudal warlors, and even many in America are familiar with him. However, many people (including me, unfortunately...) are unfamiliar with exactly WHY he is so well known.

*12-_kitsune_The direct translation of the word is "Fox". But using this word by itself cal also fully express the term "fox demon". In Feudal Japan, _kitsune_ were well known for being able to take on the form of a beautiful woman to trick people and steal from them. However, Shippou is only 50 years old (the demon equivalent of about 6 or 7) and has not fully honed his transformation skills yet.

*13-_hai_A simple word, translating to mean simply 'yes'.


	6. Chapter 03:The Spider in the Old Temple

Message from the Authoress (Returning Readers Please Read!):Well, it's been a while since I updated, but since I started playing the game again, I thought it would be a good idea to get back to work and type as I play. ^.^ Also, to those who read the previous chapters originally, and are recently coming back to the story, I highly suggest at least re-reading the first chapter, as since the original posting, I've done a re-design of the twins. They were originally designed after Maiku and Karen from Onegai Twins, but I've redone them to my own original design, so for more up-to-date details on their appearance, it would be best to read the new version of the chapter. Well, on with the story!

When the group enterred the village, it was calm and peaceful. Resting her hand on the hilt of the of the old sword she'd borrowed from an elderly man in Kaede's village, Amane carefully studied the area just within the village entrance. Just before them lay a forked path. While one fork continued directly ahead of them, the other branched to the left at a ninety degree angle.

"Which way should we go?"asked Shippou.

"Let's start by going left."Amane suggested.

"Why left?"InuYasha raised an eyebrow.

"Well most people tend to start off with whichever direction their dominant hand is. And then those same people usually find it's not where they wanted to be. So I do the opposite. I'm right-handed, so I say start left."

"Works for me."Kagome laughed softly.

They took the path Amane had chosen, and after a few minutes of walking came upon small river which ran past the village. An old man stood beside the river, his back toward them.

"What rare use of Shikigami power."the old man muttered to himself.

"What?"Amane said in confusion. She approached the old man, who then turned to face her. The man wore a light blue _kimono_ with a white triangle pattern, over which lay a _haori_* in a darker shade of blue. Around his waist, over both the _kimono_ and _haori_, a white sash was tied. Around his neck was a strand of violet prayer beads. His hair was stark white pulled into a loose bun at the nape of his neck, and he had a mustouche the same white as his hair.

"When you were in danger, do you remember what you cried out?"the man questioned.

"Um?"Amane wrinkled her face in confusion.

"How would you know?"InuYasha asked suspicously.

"I wonder!"the old man said with a light-hearted laugh.

"Strange Gramps."the _hanyou_* muttered.

"What is this about?"Kagome asked curiously.

"It doesn't seem likely,"InuYasha said. "But this human has a mysterious power."

"Oh... I see."Shippou murmured.

"It's nothing, really."Amane said humbly, since she still didn't understand this 'light' InuYasha had mentioned to her before. "Oh! I didn't introduce myself! My name is Amane! This is Kagome, InuYasha, and Shippou."

"A pleasure to meet you, young lady. My name is Kakuju."

"Well, Grandpa, exactly what is this power?"

"It's what we call Shikigami, which is a special power than can be wielded. It's a spiritual power that exists in all creatures in the universe."

"It sounds pretty amazing!"Kagome commented.

"Well, this girl has only just awakened her powers."Kakuju said before turning again to Amane. "You don't even know how to use them to their fullest potential yet."

"I'm pretty helpless."Amane admit.

"You can't help it."Kagome comforted her. "There's nothing like this in our world."

"Your world?"Kakuju questioned.

"Yes."Amane nodded. "I'm from a different world, and I was brough her unexpectedly."

"Oh. You're from a different world. That is unusual."

"You couldn't tell from the strange clothing?"Shippou asked, pulling on Amane's pant leg to prove his point.

"I'm sorry. My eyes don't work as well anymore. I can't even tell what you are wearing or what you look like."

"I didn't realize that."Shippou said, hanging his little head. "I'm sorry for what I said."

The old man chuckled softly. "Don't worry about it."

"So, do you know anything?"InuYasha asked bluntly.

Kakuju shook his head. "Sorry, but I don't know anything that could help you."

"I see."Amane murmured sadly.

"Sorry about that."

"That's okay. Well... Good bye."

Amane turned, intending to leave.

"Wait a minute!"

"Huh?"the dark-haired girl turned to look at the old man again.

"I don't know what brough you into this world. But I can teach you how to use the Shikigami power that lies within you. Would you like to learn?"

"That's great!"InuYasha encouraged. "You should learn how to use it."

"Yes. Okay."Amane nodded. "Please teach me, Grandpa Kakuju."

"Okay, then stand in front of me, hold my hand, close your eyes, and be very still."

Amane nodded, standing before the old man and gently grasping his hand. She closed her blue eyes, and kept her body as still as she could. She began to feel an odd warmth radiating from Kakuju's body into her own. She recognized it as the same feeling that had overcome her when she'd been attacked by that demon. Now that she wasn't in fear of her life, the feeling actually brought a calming effect to her body. The others watched as the girl was surrounded by a strange white aura, but what the aura was was hard to decipher. It flowed about her almost like smoke, yet its make up seemed to be more like light. Almost as soon as the aura had appeared, it vanished from Amane's body.

"Wow!"Shippou exclaimed as the girl opened her eyes. "Your body lit up! Is that what you call Shikgami?"

"No, no."Kakuju shook his head. "We just awakened the Shikigami. Now you will learn to use the Shikigami."

The old man released the girl's hand, and turned to a large rock beside him. It had appeared no different than any other rock moments before, but now in Amane's eyes, it seemed to have a faint sheen similar to the smokey light which had just enveloped her.

"This rock is made from Serpentine."Kakuju explained. "It racts to the power of Shikigami. If you can properly use Shikigami, the rock will react and break. Go ahead and try it."

"Okay."Amane nodded. She knelt before the rock, and took a deep breath before placing both hands upon its surface. She carefully concentrated her energy, and within moments she felt the Shikigami around her body again. She willed the power into the rock, and it began to disintegrate beneath her fingertips. When the rock had completely vanished, she stood and turned to her friends with a triumphant expression.

"I did it!"

"That's great!"Kagome smiled.

"Whatever. I can do that."InuYasha muttered, despite the fact that all he meant was 'I can smash rocks too'.

"No need to get competitive."Shippou pointed out.

"That's right."Kagome said, frowning at InuYasha. "This isn't the place to be waving your sword around."

"Shut up!"the _hanyou_ scoffed.

"So, you you think you've learned how to use the Shikigami power?"Kakuju asked Amane.

"Yes, pretty much."Amane nodded with a smile to the old man.

"Now, the test will be in putting it to actual use."

"Okay. Thank you, Grandpa!"

"Now let's go find a villager who might know something."Kagome said.

Amane nodded, and after bidding farewell to Kakuju the group returned down the path they had come. Upon reaching the main path, they turned to follow the path they had previously ignored, coming to the center of the village. Standing outside one of the houses was the man Amane had seen just before she'd been attacked by the demon.

"I found you!"she said, approaching the man. "You were the one who came after me in the field!"

The man looked at Amane with wide eyes. "Hey, aren't you the one from that time... Did you come to abduct someone again? Get away! Demon, give me back my daughter!"

"What nonsense is he talking about?"InuYasha said in annoyance.

"Don't be rude, InuYasha."Kagome snapped before turning to the villager and saying kindly, "You don't have to be afraid, this girl isn't a demon."

"What? Well, what's with the peculiar clothing?"

"Oh, it's just an unusual circumstance, but we're normal people, like you."

"It's true."Amane said softly. "I'm not a demon."

"Hmm..."the man muttered. "Now that you say that, you do look pretty weak to be a demon."

"You finally got it."InuYasha said with a smug look as Amane frowned at the weak comment.

"I can't believe I was about to capture a kid."the man said. "So sorry. I was so panicked I couldn't think straight."

"You were panicking?"Kagome asked. "What happened?"

"A demon has stolen my daughter."

"Demon. As in the giant spider demon people say lives in the old temple?"asked InuYasha.

"Yes. He came to our village and stole my daughter! And I went looking for her."

"That's when I appeared."Amane nodded in understanding.

"That's right. I saw your strange clothes and thought you were a demon in disguise."

"Don't worry about it. But, can I ask you something? Did you see a boy anywhere near there? He would've been wearing strange clothes as well."

"A boy? No, I didn't. I searched that area really well, and I didn't see anyone but you."

"I see."Amane murmured in defeat. She had so been hoping the man might be able to tell her where to find her brother.

"Damn."InuYasha growled. "We finally find the place and he's nowhere in sight. What a waste of time."

"It's too bad, but I guess we should head back to Kaede's Village."Shippou said.

"Wait!"Kagome ordered.

"What, Kagome?"InuYasha asked.

"So, what about the demon spider?"Kagome asked the man. "Did you find your daughter?"

"No, not yet."the man said, looking close to tears. "The young men that went to the old temple to find her never came back. I think I need to go and find her. But damn it! I'm no match for a demon that can destroy our homes."

"In that case, we'll go after him for you."InuYasha said with a smirk.

"What? You will destroy him for me? How can I thank you? Please help my daughter, Sach."

"InuYasha, this is so unlike you!"Shippou exclaimed. "Are you okay?"

"I'm so bored from all this walking."the _hanyou_ grumbled. "I need a little excitement."

"Oh. I see."the _kitsune_ said in understanding.

"But..."Amane began.

"It's probably just some stale old demon that lives in the old temple."InuYasha said. "This'll be a piece of cake."

"But the villagers said he's been acting differently recently."Amane said, recalling some gossip she'd overheard as they'd been walking through the village.

"Oh shut up."InuYasha growled. "What do you know about demons? Let's just go already! So, where's the old temple?"

"It's at the end of the village past the rocky expanse."the man said. "Please help my daughter."

Amane gazed up at the abandoned old temple that was falling apart before her very eyes.

"So, this is the old temple. It looks perfect for a giant spider's dwelling."

"There's a strange smell."InuYasha said with a frown.

"Huh? Really?"Amane questioned.

"That's the smell of blood, no doubt about it. There's a strong smell of human blood."

"Be careful, InuYasha."Kagome warned. "The smell of blood and the thought of the spider's web are giving me a bad feeling."

"Yes, the villagers mentioned the spider's web."Amane nodded.

"I know. But we can't come this far and turn around."InuYasha reminded them.

"I know, but..."Amane began. InuYasha scoffed.

"Fine. You guys stay here."

"What are you saying, InuYasha?"Shippou asked.

"No matter how strong you are, you'll still be in danger if you go alone."Kagome said angrily.

"Oh, be quiet."InuYasha rolled his eyes. "it's better to fight a ghost by yourself anyway. I'll defeat him quickly, then I'll be back. You guys, stay here."

With that said, InuYasha turned and enterred the temple.

"Always making decisions on your own."Shippou muttered angrily.

"That's what he said,"Kagome murmured. "But really he's trying to keep us from danger."

"Really? I didn't hear him say that."

"He's just too proud to."

"I see."Amane murmured, sitting on the bottom step leading up to the temple.

Kagome's head suddenly jerked up. "Wh-what's that?"

"What happened, Kagome?"Shippou asked.

"This... it can't be! I sense shards of the _Shikon-no-Tama_*."

"What?"Shippou's eyes grew wide.

"There's definitely shards of the _Shikon-no-Tama_ nearby."

"Shards of the _Shikon-no-Tama_?"Amane asked, confusion clearly written on her face.

"It's what we've been looking for this whole time."Kagome explained. "Originally, it was one sphere. But it was broken into little shards and spread everywhere."

"If the demons use the shards, they become more powerful."Shippou said, now looking worried.

"I didn't know there was anything like it."Amane said in wonder.

"If the demon spider has them, then..."Shippou's voice wavered at the thought.

"InuYasha is in danger."Kagome nodded. "Shippou, lt's go."

"Okay."the kitsune nodded.

"Um, what should I do?"Amane asked.

"Wait here."Kagome said simply.

"What? O-Okay."

Amane watched silently as Kagome and Shippou quickly ran into the temple to aid InuYasha. After a few minutes, she murmured to herself.

"I wonder if everyone is okay? I'm really glad they are so concerned about me, but I don't want to be in their way. How can I help everyone?"

Suddenly, from inside the temple, Amane heard InuYasha's voice yell,

"What is this?"

Immediately following, Kagome's scream echoed from the same direction. Amane immediately rose to her feet.

"Waht happened?"

Without a second thought, the girl drew the old sword at her hip and rushed into the temple. The others were all bound by a white spider web, the spider demon looming before them with a sadistic gleam in his crimson eyes. When he noticed the new arrival, the spider cackled.

"Well, well, there's still more of you. Since you've escaped being captured, you should run away. Do you really want me to suck your blood?"

"Shut up!"Amane snapped, rushing forward and desperately trying to slice the web apart with her sword. But the web was solid as steel, not giving way beneath the old blade. The spider cackled again.

"How stupid!"

A venom projectile burst from the spider's mouth. Amane barely managed to dodge, but the attack grazed across her left arm, leaving it singed. The girl cried out in pain.

"He's using power from the shards of the Shikon Jewel."InuYasha exclaimed. "You can't win, you have to run away."

"If I run away, he'll kill them all."Amane said to herself, clutching her wounded arm. "I have to do something. But, what should I do?"

Amane scanned the room for something that could help her, and her eyes fell upon a Buddha statue behind the spider. Her eyes detected the same faint sheen of the Shikigami that had enveloped the rock Kakuju had shown her.

"That's made of Serpentine rock like Grandpa Kakuju was talking about!"

"Give up, little one?"the spider snickered. "Well then, I'm gonna eat you first."

"You idiot!"InuYasha snapped. "Why are you standing there? Run! Run away!"

"You have to run away!"Kagome exclaimed.

"Quickly, run away!"Shippou echoed.

Amane closed her eyes, feeling the Shikigami envelop her body. Her original intent had been to destroy the statue so that's its rubble would entrap the spider, but as she concentrated on it, she felt something radiating from it, as if it had its own Shikigami source sealed within. She opened her eyes, and found the white aura of the Shikigami around her bleeding to red, the same crimson shade as flames.

"I see... So this is the true power of the Shikgami..."she murmured before holding her arms out before her. "Oh, flame, burning bright!"

The Shikigami around her plummeted into the web confining the others, and the web immediately burst into flames. It was disintigrated in seconds, leaving Amane's friends free from its binding.

"Wh-what?"the spider exclaimed in fear.

"I'm free from the web!"Shippou said happily as he and the others pulled themselves to their feet.

"Great!"InuYasha smirked. "Now we can get him!"

"Damn you all!"the spider cursed. "I'm going to drink everyone's blood!"

InuYasha scoffed, digging his claws into his own arm. "See how ya like this! Blades of Blood!"

InuYasha slashed his claws outward, his own blood flinging from his claws. The blood became shard blades in midair, flying into the spider and slicing it to ribbons. The demon fell to the ground in a bloody heap.

"How'd ya like that?"InuYasha smirked. Amane let out a relieved breath.

"Is everyone okay?"

"Thank you for helping us."Kagome said cheerfully. "I thought we were done for."

"That was really dangergous."Shippou frowned. "What were you thinking?"

"Oh shut up."InuYasha said to the _kitsune_. "Everyone's safe now. That's all that matters."

"You can at least say thanks."Shippou reminded the other male.

"That's not necessary."Amane said with a smile at the little demon. "I'm glad I was able to help, even a little."

"Well, I guess you aren't totally useless."InuYasha smirked.

"What?"Amane blinked.

"That's his way of saying thank you."Shippou giggled. "He's just angry."

"I see."Amane giggled along with the child.

"Just shut up, Shippou."InuYasha grumbled.

Amane giggled again, before stopping as something in the corner caught her eye. She turned to get a better look at it.

"What?"InuYasha questioned.

"Something's moving over there."Amane said, pointing to what appeared to be a coccon of the the spider's web. "It looks like a spider's cocoon."

The others followed her gaze, and Kagome gasped.

"Oh no, it's not a spider's egg, is it?"

"Don't say that, Kagome."Amane shuddered.

"What are you so afraid of?"InuYasha asked in annoyance. He walked over to the cocoon, the others following carefully. The _hanyou_ drew the Tetsusaiga, and slice the cocoon open. The web fell away, revealing a little girl no older than five wearing a red kimono.

"That was scary!"the girl shivered. "Thank you so much!

"Are you okay?"Kagome asked, immediately kneeling beside the child. "Does anything hurt?"

"It was a little painful, but I'm okay."the girl murmured.

"Is your name Sachi?"Amane asked.

"Yes, but how do you know?"

"Great! Your dad asked us to find you."

"I'm glad you're safe now."Shippou smiled brightly. "What a relief!"

"At least he hadn't eaten you yet."InuYasha nodded. "Let's go everyone."

"Okay."Amane agreed, taking the little girl's hand.

"Mommy!"Sachi exclaimed, running into the arms of the woman who stood beside the man who had asked the group to find her. The woman hugged the child tightly, close to tears.

"Thank you so much!"the man exclaimed.

"You shouldn't have any more problems with demons for now, right, InuYasha?"Kagome said, looking up at the _hanyou_.

"Yeah."InuYasha agreed, folding his arms behind his head. "But, only because we had to face great danger."

"Oh, yes, it must have been so frightening."the man nodded before pressing a pouch of money into Amane's hand. "This is something we would like to give you, to show our appreciation for saving our daughter. Will you accept it, please?"

"Money?"Amane blinked. "I don't know if I can take this."

"Please, accept it."the man pleaded. "It is our thanks and an apology for how I treated you at first."

"It's only a little."the man's wife said, stepping beside her husband with Sachi still held in her arms. "But perhaps it will help somehow."

"But..."Amane began.

"I think we should accept it."Kagome said to the older teen.

"You're right."Amane nodded. "I will accept it then. Thank you."

"Everyone, thank you so much!"the man thanked them again.

"Thank you!"Sachi smiled brightly, waving to them. As the group stepped out of the house, Kagome suddenly stopped.

"Hey, what's his name again? That's right, Grandpa Kakuju. We should probably thank him. We were able to destroy the giant spider, because he taught Amane how to use the power of Shikigami."

"That's a good idea."Shippou agreed. "We sure couldn't depend on that certain someone who said he was gonna take care of it."

"Shut up, Shippou!"InuYasha snapped. Amane giggled.

"Yes, that's a good idea."

The group followed the path back to where they'd met Kakuju at the river. The man smiled kindly at Amane.

"Well, you haven't been gone long, but you've already experienced so much. It looks like you've learned how to use the power of Shikigami much better now. Tell me what happened." Amane explained to him what had happened-how the Shikigami had turned red and taken the form of flames. "I'm surprised that you defeated the spider. You've gotten much better at using the power of Shikigami. But I have a premonition that you will be fighting many more demons from now on. But there's hope."

"What a stupid old man!"InuYasha grumbled.

"You're so rude, InuYasha!"Kagome snapped before turning to the old man again. "Sorry, Kakuju."

"That's okay."he again looked to Amane. "There are many different uses for Shikigami. As you've seen, it can do more than just break rocks. You can use it when you're fighting. If you want to more firmly grasp the power of Shikigami to control the elements when you fight, come stand beside me. And close your eyes and be very still."

"Okay."Amane nodded, again taking the old man's hand and closing her eyes. As before, the smoky white light enveloped her body and disappeared just as suddenly as it had appeared.

"Now you have learned to call upon the power of Shikigami when you fight."

"Hey Gramps, this is for real?"InuYasha said, gold eyes wide. "That's cool!"

Kakuju nodded. "The Shikigami can be manipulated in several forms-fire, air, water, or in the pure light form you have already become familiar with. Just as you did in the temple, if you concentrate on the Shikigami, its color will change, and you will be able to morph it into flames, wind, or water."The old man went on about a few more complicated details which Amane didn't fully grasp, but she thought she caught on well enough to manage. "Do you think you've learned how to use Shikigami in a fight?"

"I'm still a little uncertain,"Amane admit. "But I'm pretty sure I got it."

"That's good for now. Soon you will be able to completely control it. After you gain more experience and learn to use it efficiently, not only will you be able to use it when you fight, but you will also learn to use the many different powers of the Shikigami."

"Really?"the dark-haired girl questioned.

"Yes. Really. You should go now. I'm sure we'll meet again."

"Okay. Thank you, Grandpa Kakuju."

"Oh, you've come back."Kaede said as the group enterred her house.

"We're back, Kaede."Amane smiled to the old priestess.

"So, did you find any clues?"

"No, not really."Amane's face fell.

"But Amane learned how to use the power of Shikigami."Shippou said excitedly. "Just as InuYasha was about to get killed, he was saved with the Shikigami power."

"Oh, shut up, Shippou!"InuYasha snapped.

"No."Amane shook her head. "It just free everyone and that was all. I have so much more to learn or I'll just slow everyone down."

"Even if it takes time, don't push yourself too hard. Be patient."Kaede advised. "I'm sure you're all very tired, so it's probably best if you go to bed now."

"Yeah, I'm pretty tired."Shippou yawned cutely.

"I agree."Kagome said. "Well, good night, Kaede."

Amane hadn't known what was going to happen when Kagome had told her that it was the Feudal Era. But now that she'd made some friends, she felt that, just maybe, she'd be able to get through this.

The next morning, as they sat around the firepit of Kaede's home drinking morning tea, Kagome had an idea.

"Hey, InuYasha. Should we take the day off today?"

"The day off?"the dog raised an eyebrow.

"What's up, Kagome?"Shippou asked.

"Amane must be exhausted since everything is so new."Kagome explained to the boys. "I thought we could take it easy today."

"I see."Shippou smiled. "You're so nice Kagome. I agree."

"But I don't think it's a good idea for us to split up."a male voice said.

"Huh?"InuYasha questioned. "Oh, it's Myoga."

Amane blinked, seeing a tiny man no bigger than the nail on her index finger emerged from the strands of InuYasha's hair, hopping to the ground before him.

"It's been a while, InuYasha."the man stated.

"Such a small person..."Amane murmured, blinking her eyes.

"Oh, that's just Myoga."InuYasha grumbled.

"A pleasure to meet you, miss."Myoga said to the Shikigami-wielder. "I am Lord InuYasha's personal bodyguard." At this, InuYasha rolled his eyes. The flea demon then turned to him. "I agree with Kagome's last suggestion. There are demons all around. We should make teams before we take off, just in case."

"I agree with Myoga."Kagome nodded. "We don't want to get into any trouble."

"So, let's make teams of two and go about our day."Shippou suggested.

"Agreed! What do you think InuYasha?"

"Well..."the _hanyou_ thought it over for a few moments. "Sure, why not?"

"Really? It's decided then. So, Amane, who do you want to go with for now?"

"I'll go with Shippou-chan."Amane smiled.

"Sure, I'll go with you."Shippou smiled back.

"Well, I think I'll go for a walk."Kagome said. "Come with me, InuYasha!"

"Huh? Do I have to?"

Amane smiled and stepped outside.

"What are we going to do today?"asked Shippou, following the girl out.

"I was thinking of picking herbs in the forest. Do you want to come, Shippou-chan?"

Shippou nodded, and the two went out along the wooded path outside the village. After a few minutes, Amane turned to the little _kitsune_.

"Shippou-chan!"

"What?"Shippou asked.

"You should hold my hand, since we're going together."Amane said, holding her hand out to the boy.

"Don't be dumb! I don't wanna."

"I wanna hold your hand, Shippou!"Amane said, taking the unwilling boy's hand. "See? It's fine."

"No, it's stupid! What are you doing? Let go, let go!"

"Don't be shy! I know!"Amane released the boy's hand, instead picking him up in her arms then tossing him playfully into the air. "Up, up you go!"

"What are you doing?"Shippou exclaimed in surprise as he fell back down into the girl's arms.

"Shippou, you're as light as a doll! Okay, one more tiem! Up, up you go!"

Amane tossed the _kitsune_ up again, and this time he laughed in enjoyment.

"There you go."Amane smiled, setting him on his feet again.

"What, that's it?"the boy tilted his head. "Boring."

"Oh? You like it now?"Amane laughed. "Okay, I'll do it again."

"Okay, let's see what you got!"

When Amane returned to Kaede's with the herbs she had gathered, she saw Kagome had returned from her walk with InuYasha and was standing outside the house.

"Hey, Kagome-chan. What are you doing?"

"Well, no one's been eating very well lately. So I was thinking I could make a good meal."

Amane smiled. "Wow, Kagome-chan! It's so nice of you to think about everyone's health. You're like a mom!"

"I can't cook anything too fancy. Can you get some potatoes and onions from the garden? I'll get things ready while you do that."

"Okay. I'll go get 'em now!"

Amane went to retrieve the requested vegetables from the village garden. When she returned about fifteen minutes later, Kagome was already hard at work on the food.

"Kagome-chan, here's the onions and potatoes. I found some carrots too."

"Perfect!"Kagome smiled, looking up at the other girl. "Do you think you could help me a little bit?"

"Yes, I can. Oh, you're making a bento box!"

"Yes. I think we're going to be traveling pretty far in the next few days."Kagome said, deftly slicing some mini-wieners into an octopus shape.

"You're really good at that! Wow!"Amane marvelled.

"Oh, it's nothing."Kagome laughed. "Now, why are you just standing there? Come and help me."

"Sorry, I was just admiring your cooking ability."

"First can you peel the potatoes?"

"These?"Amane stepped over to the potatoes, picking up the knife beside them. "Okay, leave it to me!"About five minutes passed without incident before Amane felt the blade of the knife slip and slice her finger. "Ouch! I cut my finger!"

"Oh no!"Kagome rushed over. "Do you need a band aid?" The girl's eyes then fell to the potatoes. Amane hadn't so much "peeled" them as sliced them into bits. "Hey, there's hardly any potato left. You're kind of clumsy, huh?

"Actually, I don't really know how to do this."Amane admit, sucking on her injured finger. "My mom does it all at home."

"Maybe you should just leave all this to me from now on."Kagome sighed.

Author Note: And that's the end of my newest chapter! Trying to keep up on this, my Sailor Moon story, my Sailor Moon/InuYasha crossover, my Legend of Mana story AND my AMV work is a little hard to juggle, but I'm trying to manage. Thank goodness my life is nothing but I big lump of free time XD

Translation Notes:

_Haori_-A jacket-like garment sometimes worn with a _kimono_. At least from what I've seen, it seems _haori _are usually sleeveless.

_Hanyou_-Half-demon

_Shikon-no-Tama_-Literally means "Jewel of Four Souls". In the English dub, it is usually referred to as the _Shikon_ Jewel.


End file.
